Description: The diet Coke and Mentos phenomenon was created by two, Caucasian, male, middle aged scientists wearing long, white, lab coats and safety goggles. There are about three different legitimate diet Coke and Mentos videos created by these two men. Every one starts off with one of them holding one bottle of diet Coke and the other holding one Mentos package. What they do is dump about six or seven Mentos into the diet Coke and what happens is and explosion. The original video was created to model the water fountains in front of the Belacio hotel in Las Vegas . Another one of this series of videos is a long chain of reactions across a large field. One explosion triggers another and that one triggers another and so on. This meme was created by Steve Spangler when he was interviewed on 9News in 2002 and 2005. According to wikipedia.com, this video received more than ten million views. As a result of these views, Spangler received fifty thousand dollars. The music in these videos do not have any words and the characters themselves in these videos do not speak either.
Analysis: The diet Coke ans Mentos meme is very different from many other internet memes. This does not have many things in common with others because there is nothing being said in it. Compared to “Star Wars Kids” and “Numa Numa”, this meme is not nearly as funny. Another reason the diet Coke and Mentos meme is not like many other ones is because there is not a constant source of entertainment. Instead of laughing throughout the whole video, the audience waits for that one moment of explosion. Although it is very different from others, it can be compared to the “Numa Numa” meme. While watching these two videos you might wonder how there is anything in common at all. But in reality, there is. Visual impressiveness is the point of comparison. The entertainment of the overweight man living in New Jersey lip sinking a Swedish pop song in “Numa Numa” and that of the diet Coke and Mentos meme both rely on visual appeal. In the diet Coke explosion the appeal is very obvious, the explosion.
Interpretation: Although these videos are extremely entertaining, i would like to know why millions upon millions of people worldwide would want to invest their time in watching literaly a soda geyser on youtube? I think that people watch this internet meme and would want to spend their valuable time on youtube is because something so simple as a few Mentos in a two liter bottle of diet Coke can create something as fun as an explosion. Some people may argue that this video along with thousands of other internet memes are “dumbing down America”, i do think that some memes can be stupid and pointless but i do not think that this one is. Although it is a meme, it does follow scientific principles. Part of the reason people want to watch this video is because this action of taking a few Mentos and placing them in a two liter bottle of diet Coke is so easy and people want to try this.
Evaluation: This meme is definitely worth watching. It shows millions of viewers a relatively safe, and new project to try. Although reenacting the Belacio’s dancing water fountains may be a bit pricey, one package of Mentos and a two liter bottle of soda can be pretty cheap. Personally, i really like and enjoy this meme. I can also see why this video has millions of views and why people would want to send this video to other people because of the amazement found in the literaly hundreds of bottles of soda exploding like a geyser.
